Transfer arrangement for knitted rib borders



Feb. 21, 1967 R. STGVHASE 3,304,749

1 TRANSFER ARRANGEMENT FOR KNITTED RIB BORDERS Filed June 16, l964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 g 7 IN VE NTof? Ramer Szvh ase Feb. 21, 1967 R. sTvHAsE 3,304,749

TRANSFER ARRANGEMENT FOR KNITTED RIB BORDERS Filed June 16, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 CLUTCH If 7.9 26 J7 44 .53

Fig.2

INVENTOR Rai er Sfvhase,

By. W

Feb. 21, 1967 R. ST'O'VHASE 3,304,749

TRANSFER ARRANGEMENT FOR KNITTED RIB BORDERS Filed June 16, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Rainer Sf'vhase Patented Feb. 21, 1967 3,304,749 TRANSFER ARRANGEMENT FOR KNITTED RIB BORDERS Rainer Stiivhase, Moerilrestrasse 20, Boll, Germany Filed June 16, 1964, Ser. No. 375,549

Claims priority, application Germany, June 19, 1963,

St 20,744 14 Claims. (Cl. 66147) This invention relates to .a method of an apparatus for automatically transferring a rib border knitted on a rib machine to a transfer bar of a Cotton full-fashioning machine.

Rib borders of parts of full-fashioned garments are knitted onrib machines and transferred to Cotton machines for finishing, since a rib machine can produce only welt. conventionally, the rib borders are knitted continuously on the rib machine and joined together by means of separating threads or yarns, the distance between which corresponds to the length of one rib border. The rib borders are then separated from one another by the separating threads being pulled out, then run on in sequence to a transfer bar by hand, whereafter the roving courses are removed.

It is an object of the invention to transfer the rib borders automatically to a transfer bar while still in the rib machine. To this end, according to the invention, if a rib machine is used having a draw-off device which engages automatically with the first run-on course, individual rib borders are knitted and drawn off and the last course of each rib border is transferred to one of two needle beds and brought thereon into the transfer position by the knitting needles being pushed out together, whereafter the points of the transfer bar are introduced into the loops of the said last course for transfer and the rib borderis retained after the transfer until the runningon comb has hung out of the first run-on course, whereafter the transfer bar with the rib border on it is removed from the rib machine.

In other words, in the method provided by the inven tion, instead of rib borders being knitted continuously on a rib machine with separating yarns between them, each border is removed immediately it is finished, so that after one border has been produced the needles are empty and another border can be started. The method according to the invention helps to save expensive manual labor, since the job of running the rib border on to the transfer bar is performed automatically. Yarn and knitting time are saved since there is no need to knit roving courses to enable the operator to hold the rib border during running-on by hand.

If required, the transfer bar can be removed from the rib machine with just one finished rib border on it. Preferably, however, a number of rib borders accumulate on the transfer bar before the same is removed from the rib machine. Conveniently, the first run-on course of every rib border is knitted with a separating yarn, in order that removal of the resulting roving course may give the rib border a clean beginning.

According to another feature of the method provided by the invention, the rib border is clamped fast to a retaining strip .or ledge or the like disposed adjacent a comb-guiding bar, whereafter the loops are transferred from the beards to the stems of the conrb points, then knocked over by the comb points being pressed closed, and by the comb being moved. The ribs can therefore be removed readily from the running-on comb.

The invention also provides an apparatus for performing the method. In one convenient embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the running-on comb and the transfer bar can each move independently of one another on a separate guide track, and the guide tracks are disposed at an angle to one another such that they intersect below the two needle beds. Conveniently, if a running-on comb having bearded needles is used, the rib border is clamped fast to a retaining strip or ledge or the like disposed adjacent a guide bar for the runningon comb. After the rib border has been clamped fast, the loops are transferred from the beards to the stems of the running-on comb points, then knocked over by the same being pressed closed and by the running-on comb being moved. A moving clamping member can cooperate with the retaining strip or ledge or the like, and such member clamps, near the comb, the rib border hanging from the runningon conrb and from'the transfer bar until the loops have been cleared off the runningon comb.

The exact nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof will be readily apparent from consideration of the following specification relating to the annexed drawing in which: 7

FIG. 1 shows an otherwise conventional rib knitting machine equipped with the automatic border transfer mechanism of the invention, the knitting machine being shownin a side-elevational view taken on the line I-I in FIG. 3, and only to the extent required for an understanding of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a front-elevational view taken in the direction of the arrow A, on a reduced scale; and

FIG. 3 shows the mechanism of FIG. 2 on a somewhat larger scale in .section on the line III-III.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 1, there are seen two needle beds 1, 2 equipped with latch needles 3. The knitting area extends between the needle beds. As shown in FIG. 3, only every other channel in the bed 1 holds a needle 3, and alternating needles in the bed 2 are provided with high and low butts. The butts represent the conventional means for axially moving the needles in their channels, not otherwise illustrated. A carriage, not shown, is arranged for movement along the needle beds in the usual manner.

Three guide bars 5, 6, 7 are mounted on the non-illustrated stationary frame of the knitting machine below the needle beds 1, 2. The bars are of U-shaped cross section (see FIG. 3) and define guide tracks which converge toward the needle beds so that the hypothetical extensions of the bars 5, 6, 7 intersect below the needle beds.

A transfer bar 8 is longitudinally movable in the track of the guide bar 5. The transfer bar is releasably retained in the associated guide bar. Downward movement of the bar 8 is limited by an adjustable stop 9. Upward movement of the bar 8 is actuated by a disk cam 14 fixedly mounted on a camshaft 13 journaled in the machine frame. One end of an arm 10 is pivotally supported on a spindle 11 which is an element of the supporting machine frame not otherwise shown. A roller 12 on the arm '10 travels on the cam face of the cam 14 during r-otation of the shaft 13. The free end of the arm 10 is hingedly connected to a thrust rod 9' in the track of. the guide bar 5 which abuttingly engages the transfer bar 8. Y A retaining member 15 is longitudinally movable on the track of the guide bar 6. It is connected by a thrust rod 16 to an arm 17 pivoted on the spindle 11 and actuated by the cooperation of a disk cam 19 on the camshaft 13 with a cam-follower roller 18 on the arm 17, as shown in FIG. 3.

A running-on comb 22 is guided for longitudinal movement on the track of the guide bar 7. Its upward movement is actuated by a thrust rod 23 on the guide bar 7, an arm 24 pivoted on the spindle 11, a roller 25 on the arm, and a disk cam 26 on the camshaft 13 (FIG. 3).

Rows of bearded needles 28, 29 are mounted on the transfer bar 8 and on the comb 22and project from the supporting members in the direction of movement of the latter toward the needle beds 1, 2. The needles or points 28 of the transfer bar 8 are knitting needles to facilitate the transfer of a course held on the bar S te the transfer comb of the full-fashioning machine.

A retaining strip or bar 33 is elongated perpendicular: ly to the plane of FIG. 1. It is fixedly mounted on the machine frame near the top ends of the guide bars 6 and 7 and is parallel to the comb 22. In the position of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1, the strip 33 cooperates with a clamping member 34 to hold a rib border 32 under the urging of a helical compression spring 38 interposed between the clamping member and the needle bed 2. The clamping member 34 is mounted on one arm of a lever 35 pivoted on a fixed spindle 36. As seen in FIG. 3, the other arm of the lever 35 carries a roller 36' which cooperates with a disk cam 37 on the cam shaft 13.

A presser bar 40 is mounted on a stationary guide member 39 for movement toward and away from the guide bar 7 at right angles to the direction of movement of the comb 22. Movement of the presser bar is actuated by a lever 42 pivoted on the spindle 36 and equipped with a roller 43. The roller cooperates with a disk cam 44 on the camshaft 13 (FIG. 3).

A bar 47 mounted on the guide member 39 provides a track parallel to the channels of the needle bed 2 for guided movement of a pusher bar 48. A pusher bar 49 is interposed between the pusher bar 48 and each needle 3 in the bed 2. Movement of the pusher bar 48 is actuated by a bent lever 51 pivoted on the spindle 36 and equipped with a roller 52 for cooperation with a disk cam 53 on the shaft 13.

The configuration of the several cams 14, 19, 26, 37, 44, 53 will be evident from the operation of the aforedescribed apparatus.

At the start of kniting the carriage associated with the two needle beds 1, 2 is outside the range of the needles 3. Rotation of the camshaft 13 raises the running-on comb 22 in its guide 7 until the needles or points 29 register with the empty channels in the needle bed 1. The shaft 13 then stops. The carriage knits one course with waste yarn on the needles of the needle bed 1 and stops outside the needles.

Further rotation of the shaft 13 raises the comb 22 higher until the stems of the needles 29 register with the channels of the needle bed 1. The yarn of the runningon course therefore slips over the beards on to the needle stems. During further rotation of the shaft 13, the comb 22 descends, the needles 29 engaging with and drawing off the first course. In its movement, the cam 26 has released the roller 25, so that the comb 22 drops by its own weight and the weight of the parts connected to it, and tenses the first course. The camshaft 13 then stops.

The carriage next knits the second course with separating yarn. The system then changes over to the yarn for the rib border. The start thereof is knitted on the needles of the needle bed 1 and on the high-butt needles of the needle bed 2 in a conventional manner, the comb 22 keeping the knitted edge part tensed and descending as the rib border length increases. Once the rib border has been knitted to the required length, the loops of stitches on the needles 3 of the needle bed 1 are, through the agency of the carriage, transferred to empty low-butt needles of the needle bed 2. The carriage then stays outside the needles.

The camshaft 13 restarts, and the cam 14 causes the transfer bar 8 to rise slowly in its guide 5. Simultaneously, all the needles of the needle bed 2 are raised by the pushers 49 to transfer height so that the final course of the knitted rib border comes into the transfer position.

The pushers 49 are operated by the pusher bar 48, the lever 5, and the cam 53. The bearded needles 28 of the transfer bar 8 are disposedbetween the needles of the needle bed 2 and the expanding elements disposed thereon engage the loops stretched in the transfer position and stay in this position. The bar 48 then returns to its normal position so that the needles 3 of the needle bed 2 are released. The shaft 13 then stops. The carriage is moved from one side to the other so that the needles 3 of the needle bed 2 are brought to comb equality, and the loops are transferred sequentially from the needles 3 to the bearded needles 28 of the transfer bar 8. Since the weight of the comb 22 and of the parts connected thereto is hung on the other end of the rib border, the loops thereof are drawn on to the stems of the needles 28. Upon further rotation of the shaft 13 the transfer bar 8 descends until it engages the stop 9 whose height is adjusted to suit the length of the particular rib border being manufactured. The stop 9 must be set higher in proportion as the rib border is longer.

As the transfer bar 8 descends, the spring 38 moves the clamping member 34 towards the retaining strip 33, the roller 36 disengaging from the cam 37. The clamping member 34, urged by the spring 38, then presses the rib border tightly against the strip 33.

The comb 22 is raised so high by its associated cam 26 that the ends of the beards of the needles 29 are at substantially the level of the bar 40, the running-on course of the rib border slipping out of the beards on to the stems of the needles 29. During the subsequent lowering of the comb 22 the bar 40, actuated by the cam 44, presses the beards of the needles 29 so that the runningon course of the rib border slips over the beards and the rib border is released from the comb 22.

The disk cam 14 raises the transfer bar 8 into a position in which the needles 28 are near the top edge of the guide 5. Simultaneously, the cam 37 pivots the clamping member 34 away from the strip 33, and the member 34 returns to its normal position, compressing the spring 38 as it does so. Since the transfer bar 8 rises more rapidly than the clamping member 34 pivots back, that portion of the rib border which has previously been engaged in the points 29 of the comb 22 is applied to that side of the transfer bar 8 which is near the strip 33. The cam 19 makes the retaining member 15 follow the clamping member 34 so that the rib border stays on that side of the transfer bar 8 which is near the comb 22, the retaining member 15 always following the movements of the transfer bar 8 so that the rib borders collected thereon always hear smoothly against the side of the transfer bar 8.

As soon as the clamping member 34 is in its normal position, and the transfer bar 8 with its points is sub stantially at the top edge of the guide 5, and the retaining member 15 returns to its position below the top end of the guide bars 5 and 7, the camshaft 13 has rotated through 360, and the cycle of operations hereinbefore described starts afresh, the first step being the raising of the comb 22.

When a number of rib borders have collected on the transfer bar 8, they are removed while the machine knits a rib border, and the full bar is replaced by an empty bar.

For knitting 2 x 2 borders, two adjacent channels in the needle bed 1 hold needles 3, and are followed by two empty channels. The needle bed 2 then has two low-butt needles opposite the needles of the needle bed 1, with two high-butt needles between the pairs of lowbutt needles.

While the flatbed rib knitting machine which is equipped with the rib border transfer arrangement of the invention has not been shown in all its details, the necessary components of a knitting machine are well known to those skilled in this art, and will be understood to be represented by the elements. explicitly illustrated.

The knitting machine is driven in a manner known per se by an electric main drive motor not shown in the drawing. The motion of said motor is transmitted to a card control for selecting and actuating the movements of said flat knitting machine.

The cam shaft 13 is driven by a second electro-motor 20 through a magnetic clutch 21 which is energized for intermittent movement of the cam shaft 13 as fully described hereinabove by the motion of the flat knitting machine itself. Obviously other timing arrangements may be resorted to as is conventional in this art.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a knitting machine, in combination:

(a) a support defining a knitting area;

(b) knitting means movable on said support toward and away from said area for sequentially knitting a plurality of courses in said area, each course including a plurality of yarn loops, and said courses jointly constituting a rib border;

(c) drawing means engageable with a first course of said plurality of courses in said area for drawing said first course in a direction away from said knitting area while the remainder of said courses is being knitted;

(d) releasable holding means for holding a last course of said rib border in said knitting area when knitting thereof is completed;

(e) a transfer member releasably mounted on said support for movement toward and away from said area;

(f) a plurality of point means on said transfer member, said point means being engageable with the loops of a course held in said area by said holding means during movement of said transfer member; and

(g) actuating means for actuating said knitting means,

said drawing means, said holding means, and movement of said transfer member in timed sequence.

2. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim ll, said support including two needle beds defining said knitting area therebetween, and said knitting means including a plurality of knitting needles movable on each needle bed toward and away from said knitting area, the needles on one bed constituting said holding means.

3. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 2, said actuating means including a pusher member mounted on said support for movement in a direction toward said knitting area while in simultaneous motion transmitting engagement with the plurality of knitting needles on said one needle bed.

4. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 2, said drawing means including a comb member guided on said support for movement toward and away from said knitting area.

5. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 2, two guide means on said support defining substantially straight guide tracks angularly offset relative to each other, one of said guide means engaging said transfer member for guiding said movement thereof toward and away from said knitting area in a first one of said tracks, said drawing means including a comb member engaged by the other guide means for guiding movement of said comb member toward and away from said knitting area in a second one of said tracks, said tracks intersecting each other at a point spaced from said knitting area.

6. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 2, said point means including a plurality of knitting needles.

7. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 2, retaining means on said support engageable with a portion of a rib border for retaining said rib border while the same is engaged with said drawing means and with the points on said transfer member.

8. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 7, said retaining means including two retaining members, one of said members being movable toward and away from the other member for clamping and releasing said portion of said rib border, said movable retaining member being connected to said actuating means for actuation of the movement thereof in said timed sequence.

9. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 8, said drawing means including a comb movable toward and away from said knitting area, and including a plurality of points engageable with said first course; and releasing means for releasing the engaged first course from the points of said comb while said portion of said rib border is being retained by said retaining means, said releasing means being operatively connected to said actuating means for actuation in said timed sequence.

10. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 2, stop means for limiting movement of said transfer member in a direction away from said knitting area.

11. In a knitting machine, in combination:

(a) a support;

(b) two needle beds spacedly mounted on said support and defining a knitting area therebetween;

(c) a plurality of juxtaposed needles movable on each needle bed toward and away from said knitting area;

(d) a plurality of guide means mounted on said support and defining respective tracks directed toward said knitting area and angularly offset relative to each other;

(e) a transfer bar releasably secured to a first guide means for movement in the track thereof;

(f) a plurality of points mounted on said transfer bar for simultaneous alignment with respective needles on one of said needle beds during movement of said transfer bar;

(g) a comb member engaged by a second guide means for movement in the track of the latter, said comb member including a plurality of points simultaneously alignable with respective needles on the other bed during said movement of said comb member;

(h) pusher means movable on said support and operatively connected to the needles on said one needle bed for moving said needles toward said knitting area, said needles of said needle beds and said points being adapted to engage respective loops of a knitted fabric;

(i) retaining means movable on said support for retaining and releasing a knitted fabric while loops thereof are engaged by at least one of said transfer bar and of said comb member;

(j) releasing means movable toward and away from the points of said comb member for releasing a knitted fabric from engagement of the loops thereof by said points; and

(k) actuating means operatively connected to said transfer bar, to said comb member, to said pusher means, to said retaining means, and to said releasing means for actuating said respective movements thereof in timed sequence.

12. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 11, the points of said comb member being bearded needles, and said releasing means including a presser bar engageable with the beards of said bearded needles for releasing the engaged loops from said bearded needles during movement of said comb member.

13. In a knitting machine as set forth in claim 11, said retaining means including a retaining member fixed on said support, and a clamping member movable toward and away from said fixed retaining member.

14. In a knit-ting machine as set forth in claim 13, said retaining means further including another retaining member movable relative to said clamping member for retaining engagement of a knitted fabric between said clamping member and said movable retaining member, said movable retaining member being operatively connected to said actuating means for movement of said movable member in predetermined relationship with said clamping member.

No references cited.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A KNITTING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION: (A) A SUPPORT DEFINING A KNITTING AREA; (B) KNITTING MEANS MOVABLE ON SAID SUPPORT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID AREA FOR SEQUENTIALLY KNITTING A PLURALITY OF COURSES IN SAID AREA, EACH COURSE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF YARN LOOPS, AND SAID COURSES JOINTLY CONSTITUTING A RIB BORDER; (C) DRAWING MEANS ENGAGABLE WITH A FIRST COURSE OF SAID PLURALITY OF COURSES IN SAID AREA FOR DRAWING SAID FIRST COURSE IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID KNITTING AREA WHILE THE REMAINDER OF SAID COURSES IS BEING KNITTED; (D) RELEASABLE HOLDING MEANS FOR HOLDING A LAST COURSE OF SAID RIB BORDER IN SAID KNITTING AREA WHEN KNITTING THEREOF IS COMPLETED; (E) A TRANSFER MEMBER RELEASABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID AREA; (F) A PLURALITY OF POINT MEANS ON SAID TRANSFER MEMBER, SAID POINT MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LOOPS OF A COURSE HELD IN SAID AREA BY SAID HOLDING MEANS DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID TRANSFER MEMBER; AND (G) ACTUATING MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID KNITTING MEANS, SAID DRAWING MEANS, SAID HOLDING MEANS, AND MOVEMENT OF SAID TRANSFER MEMBER IN TIMED SEQUENCE. 